Recipe: Cooking Made Easy with my Beautiful New Hokan Bowls

I’ve been travelling so much this year that I haven’t spent much time in the kitchen. Not complaining at all – I’ve been to some incredible places. But I do miss the creativity and relaxation that cooking brings. So today we’re going to remedy that as I experiment with my latest acquisition – a trio of beautiful Hokan bowls.

These stoneware bowls are fired at high temperature, which means they’re non-porous, making them odour and stain-free. They’re extremely versatile, being oven-, microwave-, freezer-, and dishwasher-safe, so you can cook, serve, and freeze with great ease. After all that, you’ll only have one bowl to wash up. How good is that?

Today I decided to try the largest of the three bowls and had a craving for lamb. I paged through several of my recipe books before inventing my own recipe inspired by the flavours of the Middle East. I browned the lamb in a frying pan first, then placed all the ingredients into a bowl, put the lid on, and placed it in the oven at a medium heat (180 °C) for nearly two hours. As if by magic, everything cooked through wonderfully – the lamb was super-tender, and the stock even reduced to the perfect thickness. I removed the lid, placed the bowl on the table, and served it with rice. What a delicious dish. Here’s the recipe.

Fragrant Middle-Eastern-inspired Lamb

Serves 2

450g lamb shoulder cut into medium-sized chunks

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

salt and pepper

300ml chicken stock

2 tsp honey

4 bay leaves

Fry the garlic in a frying pan with a little sunflower oil and brown the lamb.

Place the browned lamb and its juices in the Hokan bowl and sprinkle the dry ingredients over it.

Pour over the chicken stock and stir in the honey and bay leaves.

Place the lid on and put it in the oven at 180 °C for 1 hour and 45 minutes. I checked it a couple of times to ensure it wasn’t drying up, and it was fine, so there was no need to do this. However, I also wanted to taste the flavors.

Serve with white rice.

Other pluses I love about my bowls – the food stays hot for a while on the table. And I found it incredibly easy to clean – the marks came off ever so easily. They’re also stackable, making them easy to store in a smaller space.